The post below is sponsored by Green Oak Village Place. All opinions expressed belong to me.

I recently visited Green Oak Village Place in Brighton, Michigan for a fun reason: To trendspot for fall. I had a blast walking around JCPenney, Justice and Payless and spotting items that are perfect for kiddos.

I love wandering around here because so many of my favorite stores are here. Additionally, there are plenty of restaurants too, making it a great destination for a day of back-to-school shopping.

Here are the top 10 fall 2016 trends for kids I saw:

Black and White

This classic color combo never seems to go out of style and I spotted it everywhere.

This T-shirt I spotted at JCPenney gave me a giggle. I saw black and white on everything from shirts to jackets, skirts and more.

Graphic Tees

I don’t know about you all, but my kids love a fun graphic tee. I spotted some amazing ones! These are great for wearing under sweaters when the weather cools.

Hey Justice! I want this one in my size 😉

Bright colored shoes

Walking through Payless was like walking through a rainbow — I loved all the bright colors I spotted around me. I even smiled seeing that Kangaroos are back in style because I loved those growing up, and know my kids will love them too.

Payless has tons of great options for kids. They also have awesome sales, especially when you’re buying shoes for multiple kids! Make sure to grab a rewards card for some awesome extra savings, too.

Plaid

This grunge trend has been back in style for a few years now and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. I saw these all over both the girls and boys departments. The colors are perfect for fall, too!

Plaid shirts on display at JCPenney.

Emojis

Every girl I know loves emojis. How can you not? I spotted them all over the kid’s departments.

Loved this outfit and coordinating scarf at Justice. So fun!

Bohemian Dresses

I spotted Boho style in both kid and adult sizes. These would be so fun paired with some cute fall boots.

Dresses spotted in the girl’s department at JCPenney.

Monograms

When kids head to classrooms filled with kids, it’s nice to have something that identifies an item as yours. Monograms are still in style and for good reason — they are so fun.

There is everything from backpacks to lunch boxes and pencil cases available with monograms at Justice.

Funky Leggings

Leggings with crazy patterns are all the rage. I love seeing them styled with a fun longer graphic tee or oversized sweater.

Funky leggings are available for a great price for girls at JCPenney.

Crazy Socks

There’s no better way to show a littler personality than with some fun socks. Payless has them BOGO and has a great variety to choose from for all ages.

Fun Buy One, Get One socks are available at Payless.

Empowering Sayings

As a mom, I’m sick of seeing “cutie” on girl’s clothing. I was so happy to see so many awesome sayings on shirts. Let’s empower our kids!

Fun T-shirt and sweater combo spotted at Justice.

MORE ABOUT GREEN OAK VILLAGE PLACE

Green Oak Village Place is located off of US-23 in Brighton, Michigan. In addition to the stores highlighted, the plaza is home to many other popular stores for kids, including T.J. Maxx, Five Below, Claire’s, American Eagle, PacSun and more.

I have an ongoing partnership with Meijer and am compensated for posts. All opinions and content belong to me.

My little gals both started preschool this week {3 and 4-year-old programs} and — oh my! — it has been an adjustment. We’re getting there though and I absolutely love hearing about their day when I pick them up. Of course, their favorite things so far are playing outside and eating snack. I mean, how can you not love preschool for those reasons alone?

With the start of a new school year and activities, I’m starting to see a lot of coughing, sneezing, runny-nosed little people running around. It’s just bound to happen with our crazy hot-cold weather and the converging of kids in school.

Last year, I was lucky that neither of my girls missed a day of school from sickness. This year, I’m hoping to have that same luck again, but we all know how unpredictable kids are, so who knows. With a 1-year-old in the house, I do my best to keep the germs away because a sick baby is just about the worst thing that can happen, and teething has been cruel enough.

These are a few ways we fight germs in our house:

Washing hands isn’t an option; it’s required. If you go to the bathroom, you must wash your hands. {I will do the smell test to make sure they used soap, too!} We do our best to make sure hands are washed before meals, too.

Brushing teeth is critical. Children with poor oral health status are nearly 3 times more likely than their counterparts to miss school as a result of dental pain. Take care of your mouth and your body will follow suit. I let my girls brush their own teeth, but try to come in for a last run through to make sure all teeth are clean.

Fruits and veggies at just about every meal. It’s not rocket science that the vitamins found in foods help build immunities, but kids don’t know that, so tell them! My girls love touting how healthy they are when they bite into healthy items. We love smoothies to sneak in things like spinach, too.

Flu shots. Why would I risk my children getting the horrid respiratory flu when it can easily be prevented? This is a no-brainer for me personally.

Vitamins. I try my best to offer balanced foods during the day, but the truth is, it’s never perfect. To make up for what my kids may lack nutritionally, I give my kidsthe gummy vitamins from Meijer. My girls think they are candy. Score!

I have the sick essentials on hand. Nothing is worse than a midnight run to Meijer, right? At the beginning of the school year, I try to make sure we’re stocked up on items like Tylenol, allergy pills for me, chicken noodle soup, gatorade and saltines – just in case. I’d rather be safe than sorry when the time comes.

I’m thrilled Meijer offers one-stop shopping so I can get everything I need this time of year. It’s easy to transfer a prescription, fill a new prescription or pick up a refill at the Meijer pharmacy, too. They even offer select prescriptions for free with your doctor’s prescription. {I always got my prenatal vitamins for free here while pregnant!}

Additionally, the mPerk pharmacy rewards are an amazing way to earn savings for every prescription you pick up. Earn 1 point for every 5th prescription and clip your reward.

The Meijer pharmacy also offers health screening services such as cholesterol testing and blood glucose testing – just walk in, no appointment necessary. You can also get select immunizations AND you can even fill select pet prescriptions for your pets!

I’m excited to offer the chance for ONE winner to win a Back To Health gift package from my friends at Meijer so you can stay healthy all school year with these products and more.

I have an ongoing partnership with Meijer and am compensated for posts. All opinions and content belong to me.

I just finished reading an inspiring book: Three Cups of Tea. The book essentially highlights how one man has changed education {especially among girls} in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has me all fired up about the power of education, because without it, we’re truly a lost world.

Our country has its flaws when it comes to education, but the fact is no child is denied their right to attend school, and that is truly something we should all cherish. After all, the children are our future.

But what about the kids here who struggle to come to school with a pencil and paper? What if their parents can’t afford backpacks? What if school is the only place where a child has access to food and electronic resources needed to succeed these days? Thoughts like this break my heart.

Thankfully, many local non-profits are in place to help the kids who otherwise may fall through the cracks. But without simple donations from community members, these organizations fall flat.

I’m a deal shopper to the extreme, so I figured instead of a meal or two out this month, we’d put a little money toward the greatest cause possible: Helping kids in our local schools.

My Karina was so excited to help me organize all the items we collected!

When you’re out back-to-school shopping in the days ahead, I urge you to do the same and throw a few extras in your cart. Even if it’s just a few notebooks and pencils — those items could make a world of difference to an aspiring writer, doctor or teacher.

This week is the perfect time to shop. Meijer has 10 for $10 on tons of school supplies, with the 11th free. In mPerks, there is a $2 off $10 supply coupon, a 20% off apparel purchase when you buy $20 in supplies and more. Plus, when you spend money, you’ll earn points toward your personalized rewards, which you definitely need to use if you’re a Meijer shopper!

I decided to spend $50 and see how far I could stretch it. Here’s what I ended up getting shopping at Meijer:

15 notebooks {$0.17}

30 folders {$0.15}

2 packs of loose paper {$1.49}

2 pairs of scissors {$1.49}

5 sets of Crayola markers {$1}

5 sets of Crayola colored pencils {$1}

5 pencil boxes {94 cents each}

5 packs of pens {$1, $0.55 cent off one PaperMate mPerk}

1 pack of Sharpie clear view highlighters {$1.99 with $1 off mPerk}

2 packs of glue sticks {6-packs for $1.99}

2 packs of pencils {44 cents each}

5 boxes of tissues {$1 each}

5 – 3-ring binders {$1}

3 boxes of fruit snacks for a lunch packing program {3 for $5}

2 lunch boxes {20% off this week, $5.75 each}

That’s a lot of supplies, right?! Many were part of the buy 10, get the 11th item free bargain, too. Meijer has the best pricing I could find on many of the items that are needed most. See this post from Bargains to Bounty with all the school supply match-ups this week!

Where to Give Back

If you’re looking to donate, here are some local organizations helping students:

Philanthropy is at the heart of every Meijer store with the Simply Give program, which helps neighborhood food pantries keep their shelves stocked. This signature program has generated more than $15.5 million.

One of my hot button issues is education. I believe it’s the key to our future. In fact, I personally believe that it is the key to Detroit’s turnaround. So when I got word about a program doing great things to help our nation’s classrooms, I jumped at the chance to discuss it with all of you.

Elmer’s (as in the glue, ya’ll) is helping children in need to get school supplies this back-to-school season through the Kids In Need Foundation. And the program needs your help.

From now until Sept. 1, for each “like” on the Elmer’s Facebook page, and video watch on the Elmer’s Kids In Need tab, the company will donate a product to the Foundation’s national network of free stores, where teachers from select schools can “shop” for free for school supplies.

For my local readers, the center in Detroit that will receive the supplies is Operation: Kid Equip, a fabulous organization that is close to my heart. In addition to everything OKE will receive from Elmer’s, another local corporate citizen, Comerica Bank, will also be hosting a school supply drive at all 197 of their banking centers, August 1-19. See details here on how to help. With all the school supplies on sale right now, stock up, donate, and help some kids in need!

For other states, see here to learn which local organization the Kids In Need Foundation and Elmer’s is helping.

As a fun bonus, I also have 3 back-to-school kits, compliments of Elmer’s, to give away. Win one for yourself/your child, or, if you’re like me and don’t have a little one in school yet, donate it to a local organization or school in need.

The kits include:

The all-new Elmer’s X-TREME School Glue Stick

Small foam tri-fold

Project Popperz

Mini bi-fold foam

Disappearing purple glue sticks

Gel school glue sticks

School glue

School glue dual tip pen

Here’s how to enter:

You must be a U.S. resident

Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite back to school supply was growing up (For example, I loved Lisa Frank folders!) Make sure to leave your email address, as that will be the way the winner is notified.

Tweet the following: “I helped a child receive #B2S supplies with @Elmers, @KidsInNeed and @LaurenWeber84: http://bit.ly/qoSaNN” (no need to leave a comment saying you did this, as I will see it on Twitter)

I will pick a winner at random on August 15. Good luck and happy back-to-school shopping!